Always committed to providing insights into Belgian character, we at Brewery Ommegang are pleased to introduce you to pigeon racing, a sport in which the Belgians are the acknowledged world leaders.

Racing pigeons, or Homers, have an august and rich history. In ancient times they served as message carriers, bringing back to their owners news of the outcomes of far off battles. In the twelfth century they delivered mail in one of the world's first postal services organized and maintained by the Caliph of Baghdad. In the 19th century they carried stock market quotes from London to investors across the English Channel in Belgium. And during the second World War, an American one named "G.I. Joe" saved the lives of a thousand British troops and became the only animal ever to earn the prestigious Dicken Medal for Bravery from the Lord Mayor of London. 

Fast, reliable and courageous, Racing Pigeons are birds with pedigrees as prestigious as those of show dogs and racing skills comparable to those of thoroughbred horses. In Belgium pigeon racing is a national pastime. Belgian children learn the sport like American boys learn Baseball. An estimated 60,000 adult fanciers value their racing pigeons as prize possessions., housing them in pigeonniers, lofts that often resemble miniature mansions, and competing in races of up to 600 miles with purses approaching one million dollars.

The name Racing Homers derives from their ability to find their way back to their home loft through any weather and over any terrain. Precisely how and why they are able to do it remains locked in  mystery, although scientists believe that the birds have an extremely accurate internal sun clock and an in born mechanism for reading the Earth's magnetic fields. They also have good ears: they can hear sounds eleven octaves below middle C, allowing them to detect earthquakes and electrical storms as accurately as the best scientific equipment. 

For centuries Belgians have bred pigeons to achieve maximum racing results.
Each breed is known for its particular characteristics. The Antwerp Smierel, for example, flies at a constant velocity, but not so fast as to tire itself out. The Liege pigeon has a solid frame that gives it unsurpassed endurance. Fanciers in Ghent insist that their native croppers combined with the Liege variety give the best results in races of any distance. Today, Merckx and Janssens family lines are recognized worldwide as two of the best.

For racing, training is just as important as breeding. Designing a loft that becomes a secure home to which the pigeon wants to return is the first step. Earning a pigeon's trust and teaching it to land on its loft are next, followed by conditioned it to fly longer distances through practice, practice, practice. When the pigeon reached 60 miles it's ready to compete, and with experience can fly in long distance races up to 500 miles.

In this country, the American Pigeon Racing Union has over 10,000 members and sponsors competitions, youth programs for prospective fanciers. At Cornell University the APRU is funding research into the mysterious disappearance of pigeon flocks in northern Virginia and western Pennsylvania. And here in Upstate New York there are eleven racing clubs that provide relaxation and entertainment for hundreds of enthusiasts.